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Pity The Orphans
The first thing that strikes me about this bizarre scenario isn’t that kidnapped bears are sitting around in the semi-darkness, rather than escaping, it’s that they’re all lying about in a great jumble, legs sticking out at all angles, as though someone took a freezeframe snapshot of a furry game of twister. As soon as they clap eyes on Anguis, they lean together in a huddle, studiously avoiding his gaze, the odd cough and wheeze breaking the silence.
“We’ve come to rescue you,” Adamo announces, cheerily. “Josa? Cosh? That’s you. I know it is.”
Eyes shift sideways to glance at each other, but not a bear moves.
“What’s the matter with you all?” Adamo glares at Anguis. “What have you done to them?”
“Not a thing,” he replies. “Other than bring them here and make them work. Nothing bad.”
Seriously?
“Nope, nothing bad about kidnapping and forced labour,” say I, before reaching out to the nearest bear through the bars. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The bear gives me the stiffest necked toothy grin I’ve ever seen, like rigor mortis has set in.
“Come to think of it,” says Adamo, pushing on the half open door and treating us all to a teeth grinding squeal, “why haven’t you escaped?”
I’m still standing in the corridor with Wings when we both spot a wolf head peeping out of a cell a few doors down. Our eyes meet and he swiftly pops back. Wings gives me a surreptitious nod and quietly edges down the corridor to avoid drawing Curt’s attention.
“Why are you all sitting like that?” asks Adamo, running through the gamut of obvious questions.
The bears peer back at him with identical wide eyed innocence. There’s something cartoonish about the whole performance and they still haven’t moved a muscle.
“Can you change, please?” Adamo’s tone has travelled from jolly, through confused and now zeros in on annoyed. “One of you needs to speak to me.”
A low grumbling sweeps through the huddled group, but there’s no other reaction, which sends the ginger bear into outright anger.
“This is ridiculous. I’m your prince. Graud, you will speak to me right now.” He points straight at a black bear, ducking down at the back, desperately trying to hide. “Graud.”
The bear’s expression reads, ‘Who me?’
“Yes, you,” says Adamo, answering the silent plea. “Change. Right now.”
The bear delivers an audible huff of exhaling breath and the resigned sigh travels through all of his comrades. Black fur dissolves into an equally dark skinned and very naked man, with two tiny, red striped snakes curled tightly in his palms and a blotchy blue one wrapped around his neck like a tie.
“Don’t hurt them,” Graud pleads, dropping the two red coils into his neighbour’s paws and unwrapping Blue. Snake eyes blink as shivers undulate down its skinny body, reacting to the sudden blast of cold air. A brown bear sticks out a leg, sporting a yellow snake wrapped around his thigh. He winds the freezing Blue around his foot and it swiftly nestles into the warm fur.
“They’re only little ones, Your Highness.” Graud grabs his trousers from a pile of discarded clothes and heaves them on.
“I’m not planning on hurting any child,” Adamo stutters, “but what’s going on here?”
All the bears relax from their frozen huddle, revealing glimpses of snakes snuggled in their fur.
Graud finds his feet, rising up from the back. “The children are all sick, Your Highness. We’ve been trying to keep them warm since they do better as snakes. None of this is their fault. They’re just babies.”
Curt limps around me and heads down the corridor, past an array of wolves and bears now peering out of open cells, to where Wings is already deep in conversation with a partially clad young man, searching for his coat.
“We’re fine. Bit of a cough, so far, but nothing like the snakes,” the young man’s saying. “We cut wood at first, but then realised what was happening, so I did a spot of cleaning, repaired a few things. Even did some cooking. Never done the cooking before. I like it.”
“You didn’t think of escaping?” Curt asks, face like thunder. “Your family thinks you’re dead.”
The young man looks suitably ashamed. “We’ve been shackled together when we go outside.” He gestures at the line of chains, sitting by the wall, the iron shackles wide open. “But Sospa stole the keys from a guard a few days ago, so we could have escaped.”
“But you didn’t?” I prompt.
“No, we didn’t,” he agrees.
The pack of wolves behind him all nod and shuffle. A tiny snake head pokes out of a furry pelt, samples the freezing air and snuggles back.
“Why?” Curt growls.
“Because they wouldn’t leave the children to die,” says Anguis, standing behind me, Adamo peering over his shoulder. “For some reason, being close to the changed bears and wolves keeps the sickness at bay,” the ambassador continues. “Maybe it’s the body heat or their fur, but your people have been trying to save our children and, yes, I realise how much better that makes your people than mine.”
Curt turns purple with rage. “You came to my village to negotiate a truce and almost killed us all in a war, knowing that my wolves were trying to save your children? You utter...”
Here follows a long line of colourful expletives having no direct translation from ancient wolvish. Use your imagination.
“Did you not care about our orphaned cubs?” Adamo adds.
I’m proud to note he’s more under control than Curt, who’s currently being restrained from pulverising Anguis’ face by the tight grip of Wings.
“You have every right to hate us,” Anguis agrees, not flinching in the face of shame. “I tried to reason with the king, but he was certain if our predicament became known, he would lose the empire.”
“Anguis, he’s already lost the empire,” I feel honour bound to point out. “Maybe it should have been stopped long ago, but you should have asked for help for the sake of your people, even if their king wouldn’t. If you don’t let go of the past, your children won’t have a future.”
I place my palm on the ambassador’s arm to soften the blow and Curt growls so loudly, I’m surprised his wolf hasn’t made an appearance. I remove my hand and he quietens down to heavy breathing and a grumble.
“No child deserves this,” Wings declares, “no matter what their parents did. It’s well past time we remove that royal snake from his castle.”
Curt steps back into the corridor to include all the bears and wolves in his announcement. “Join us in rescuing Alpha Dulcis. Together we oust Serpen and together we decide how best to help the snakes who are left.” He glares at Anguis. “We’ll deal with you later.”
“You’ll need me,” Anguis points out, holding the stare.
“Why would any of us trust you, if it comes to a fight?” Curt argues.
He has a point.
“Because when it comes to a fight, I’m the best hope you’ve got,” Anguis replies. “Serpen is king for a reason. His bloodline will not fall easily.”
That sounds ominous.
“He cannot stand against us all,” Curt replies. Cue robust howling from the wolves and low grumbling from the bears.
“Err, Your Highness?” says Graud. “What do you want us to do?”
Adamo raises a fist and delivers an expression that reminds me of General Ursid. “Bears and wolves unite.”
Slightly louder grumbling greets that provocative call to action, so the ginger prince points at Curt.
“We’re going with him to smash up a king.”
That prompts a hefty wave of roaring that rattles my eardrums, and probably tells every eagle in the castle we’re on our way. If that wasn’t bad enough, the wolves start howling in counterpoint.
“Quiet,” hollers Curt, making me jump and the walls shake.
An ebony snake comes flying out of a wolf’s tail like a coiled spring, its red and gold rings rotating in mid air. Before the airborne serpent lands, the tail forms feet and the body of a little girl bounces into view, the leader from the hallway. She can’t be any more than six, but the look on her face reminds me of a toddler about to throw a tantrum. Oh, and she’s got the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Don’t you hurt my Uncle,” she screeches, in a voice so piercing, all the wolves squint with pain. She follows this dramatic warning with a coughing fit, resembling croup.
“Princess Sospa,” Anguis announces, swiftly enveloping her in his jacket. “The king’s niece.”
That explains the eyes and the attitude.
“Get off,” she yells at Anguis, wriggling like a... snake, hauling in shaking breaths. “You’ll let them hurt him. You’re not his friend.” A hefty thwack in the eye gets followed up with a kick to his knee. “Owwww.”
That was her, not him. She’s not wearing any shoes and vulnerable toes just went crack. Even so, she keeps fighting and I have to respect the feisty little scrap’s spirit.
“Can we talk? Sospa, is it?” I venture, plastering a motherly smile on my chops.
Her eyes narrow just before she bites Anguis’ hand. “Princess Sospa,” she snarls at me, before doubling over with another coughing fit. Feisty, indeed.
“Apologies, Princess Sospa. We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help your family.”
“They’re all dead,” is her morbid announcement, which throws me.
I look to Anguis, who nods. “The King is her only family. All these children are orphans.”
“Would you like to live somewhere else?” I ask the scrap.
She stops kicking and Anguis sets her down.
“Live where?” she asks, her head tilted to one side as though trying to figure me out.
“Somewhere warmer, with no mould.”
“Where are you going with this?” Curt whispers in my ear. I ignore him because he’s about to find out and I’m not asking for anyone’s assent.
“The slime’s everywhere in the castle,” Sospa announces, believing she’s caught me out.
“How would you and your friends like to leave the castle and live further down the mountain?”
I can see Adamo shuffling out of the corner of my eye, his mouth opening and closing as he fishes for something to say. Curt sends his gaze to the ceiling and humphs. Mind you, neither of them contradict me. Not even Wings interferes. He may even have the ghost of a smile going on, but it could be a trick of the dim light.
Sospa’s eyes widen and for the first time she looks afraid, reaching out to grab the hand of the man she just kicked. “Uncle says they’ll kill us if we leave.”
A waterfall of weeny snakes pour out of wolf and bear fur, changing and filling the cell and corridors with shivering children, all whimpering along the lines of, “Don’t hurt us.”
Anguis peers down at Sospa’s upturned face. “I don’t think he’s right, Sospa.”
I kneel beside the little girl. “My name’s Edi...”
“You an eagle?” she asks, staring at my ill-fitting luminous uniform.
“Nope. Not an eagle, or a snake, a wolf, or a bear. I’m just Edi.”
“I’ve never met an Edi,” Sospa says, eyes wide.
Curt snorts behind me. “Me neither.”
“These are my friends,” I continue. “Wings the eagle, who lives with the wolves.” Wings gives a cheeky flap with both hands that makes all the children titter. “Adamo, ginger prince of the bears.”
“Grr.” Adamo gives a mock growl and the children laugh.
“This is my best friend Curt from the wolves.”
He howls gently, cringing at the pain in his hip as he takes a step towards her. Not only does she stand her ground, the scowl fades into a gentle smile.
“Are you hurt?” she asks him.
“My leg is wounded,” he replies.
Those must be magic words because he soon finds a child hugging each leg and peering up at him dewy eyed. He swallows hard as the miserable hermit disappears in the face of childlike sympathy.
“Can we go flying?” asks a wide open little face, peering up at Wings. The old bird melts as he wraps the boy in his coat and swings him into his arms. “You remind me of two boys I knew,” he says, glancing at Curt.
“Sospa,” I continue, “who does your Uncle say will hurt you, if you leave?”
Her face screws up as she thinks hard. “Wolves and bears.”
“Do you think they’ll hurt you?”
She stares at me, then at the wolves and bears who’ve been shielding her friends in thick furry comfort, and shakes her head.
“I don’t think so, either,” I agree.
“I can’t go without Uncle,” she tells me. “Promise me you won’t hurt him. He’s sad and scared too.”
Wow, this feisty little girl is something; a queen in the making. Problem is, there’s no empire left for her to inherit.
She grabs my jacket lapels in both fists and shakes. “Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Her arms fly around my neck and she hugs me so hard my neck warps. She’s got a strong grip for such a twiglet. Over her shoulder, I spot the men exchanging worried glances.
Adamo raises a hand. “Well, we need to get the Alpha Daughter back and, er, talk to Serpen.” He rotates, including every kidnapped wolf and bear in his gaze. “Can we count on your help?” A chorus of howls and roars answers his question.
Anguis taps Sospa on the shoulder and she releases my neck to peer back at him. “Get dressed quickly and go find every snake you can. Not the eagles. Bring every snake to the main hall. Tell them Anguis wants to speak to everyone.”
Her little face lights up as she nods and gathers her group for the secret mission. A line of naked children hares out of the cells following their leader back to the abandoned pile of clothes.
“You should hide,” Curt suddenly announces, to my surprise.
“What? Not a chance,” I snap, scowling.
“You can’t help us fight,” he argues, reaching out for me. “I don’t want you to get hurt...”
“Fine,” I reply, pushing his hand away. “You fight. I’ll get Dulcis.”
“I can’t look out for you and fight...”
“Don’t then. You take care of yourself. I’m getting my girl.”
“She’s our girl too,” Wings points out.
“I know, but I’m going.” I turn to Anguis. “What’s your plan?”
Anguis stares, first at me, then at the faces surrounding him. “Surprise is our best hope. If we can overwhelm and subdue him, before he changes, then we have a chance. Maybe. If I can get him to listen to us.”
I have to ask. “And if he won’t listen? If he changes?”
“Then you leave him to me,” Anguis replies, his gaze meeting mine. “Grab Dulcis and run. All of you. As fast and as far as you can.”
